The regulated and targeted administration of hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs is both promising and challenging in the field of drug delivery. Developing a hydrogel which is responsive to dual stimuli is considered a promising and exciting research area of study. In this work, melamine functionalized poly-N-isopropyl acrylamide-co-glycidyl methacrylate copolymer has been developed by copolymerizing glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) monomer with N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAm) and further functionalized with melamine units (pNIPAm-co-pGMA-Mela). The prepared pNIPAm-co-pGMA-Mela copolymer hydrogel was characterized using various characterization techniques, including ¹H NMR, FTIR, SEM, zeta potential, and particle size analysis. A hydrophobic drug (ibuprofen, Ibu) and hydrophilic drug (5-fluorouracil, 5-Fu) were selected as model drugs. Dual pH and temperature stimuli-responsive drug release behavior of the pNIPAm-co-pGMA-Mela hydrogel was evaluated under different pH (pH 7.4 and 4.0) and temperature (25 °C, 37 °C, and 45 °C) conditions. Furthermore, the in vitro biocompatibility of the developed pNIPAm-co-pGMA-Mela copolymer hydrogel was determined on MDA-MB-231 cells. The pH and temperature-responsive drug delivery study results reveal that the pNIPAm-co-pGMA-Mela hydrogel system is responsive to both pH and temperature stimuli and exhibits about ~100% of Ibu and 5-Fu, respectively, released at pH 4.0/45 °C. Moreover, the MTT assay and hemocompatibility analysis results proved that the pNIPAm-co-pGMA-Mela hydrogel system is biocompatible and hemocompatible, suggesting that that it could be used for drug delivery applications. The experimental results suggest that the proposed pNIPAm-co-pGMA-Mela hydrogel system is responsive to dual pH and temperature stimuli, and could be a promising drug carrier system for both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drug delivery applications.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have modifiable porous surfaces, can be easily modified/functionalized, and have good chemical/thermal stability; thus, they are promising candidates in the field of CO ₂ conversion/reduction reactions.

In recent decades, nanomedicine has attracted much attention at the forefront of nanotechnology, gaining great expectations in the biomedical sectors. Among various nanomaterials, silica nanoparticles-based drug delivery is considered effective owing to their physicochemical stability and biological compatibility. Surface grafting and chemical conversion techniques were used to create an amphoteric functional ligand known as amidoxime ligand (AL) modified mesoporous silica material (MS-AL NPs). With this technique, amidoxime ligand groups can be introduced in greater concentration to the silica surface without compromising its structure. The active surface allows for surface functionalization and integration of medicinal substances. They are widely employed in the bio-medical industry for diagnostics, target administration of drugs, bio-sensing, cellular absorption, and so on. The function of the produced MS-AL NPs as a regulated drug delivery system was studied utilizing doxorubicin (Dox) as a model anticancer drug. Using the MCF-7 cell line, the biocompatibility and cellular uptake characteristics were investigated. Considering all factors, the MS-AL NPs may be used as pH-responsive drug carriers in cancer treatment applications.